A Series Of Fairy Tales
by SakuBloss
Summary: Tales of the lives...and love...of Natsu and Lucy. Part 8 up!
1. Touch

**Disclaimer** – I do not own the characters of Fairy Tail. They were created and are owned by the awesome Hiro Mashima =3

I'm just having a lil fun with our fave charrys, Natsu and Lucy~ ;3

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~Touch~

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Lucy lightly dabbed at the cut on the back of Natsu's hand.

"Arg! Can you do that a little more...gently...Lucy?" Natsu whined as he tried to keep from squirming on the bench he and Lucy were sitting on, in the middle of the newly-remodeled Fairy Tail building.

"Oh, hush you big baby," Lucy replied as she carefully swabbed at the cut with an alcohol-soaked cotton ball, held lightly with tweezers.

"I'm not a baby," Natsu mumbled, as his lips pursed into a slight pout.

Lucy giggled slightly as she tried not to stare too hard at the cute pout Natsu was making.

"And _how_ exactly did you manage to get such a bad cut on your hand?" Lucy asked curiously as she continued to dab away the last bits of blood on the back of Natsu's hand.

Natsu looked away in slight embarrassment, and lightly mumbled something under his breath.

Lucy looked up from her cut-cleaning, and slightly canted her head to the side curiously. "What was that Natsu? I didn't quite hear you."

Natsu continued to look away from Lucy as a light blush of embarrassment coloured his cheeks. He mumbled something again, a little louder this time, but still not loud enough for Lucy to really hear.

Lucy leaned a bit closer towards Natsu, and tried to gently coax the answer from her reluctant-to-answer friend. "Aww, come on Natsu, _please_ tell me."

Natsu let out a defeated huff of air, and replied in a quick rush of words.

"Gray sucker-punched me, I flew over the bar counter, landed smack into Cana, my hand slammed into one of her favourite alcohol bottles, it shattered and sliced the back of my hand, and Cana went nearly ballistic and tried to wipe the floor with me," Natsu replied in a huge rush of breath.

Lucy paused for a second or two before she burst out laughing, almost dropping Natsu's hand, the tweezers and the cotton ball, as her lithe body shook with mirth.

"It's not _that_ funny," Natsu mumbled, as his pout from earlier made a slight return.

Lucy let a few more giggles escape before letting her laughter trail off, leaving a small smile tugging up the corners of her lips.

"Ah Natsu, you always do manage to get yourself into the most...interesting situations," Lucy said with light affection. She then picked up a band-aid she had place on the table beside her earlier, and gently applied it to the now-cleaned cut on the back of Natsu's hand. Then before she could change her mind or properly talk herself out of it, Lucy leaned forward and with the gentlest softest touch, brushed her lips lightly across the back of Natsu's bandaged hand.

Natsu just _stared_ at Lucy's bowed head for a few shocked, silent seconds before he watched her look back up at him with a shy embarrassed smile. Then before he could respond or do anything, Lucy jumped up from the table and made a hasty retreat, waving lightly at him over her shoulder with her fingers.

Natsu continued to stare quietly for a few more seconds, before he felt a small furry body lean against his arm on the table beside him.

"She liiikeess yooouuu," Happy thrilled, as he held his small paw over his mouth to hide his grin.

"HAPPY!" Natsu cried out in embarrassment as Happy fell over backwards onto the table, and laughed his furry little tail off.

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Fin...for now~

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**AN** – Hope you all enjoyed this first short fic! Please let me know what you all thought of it =3


	2. When It Rains

**When It Rains...It Pours**

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"Lucy..._please_ Lucy...talk to me...you can't...you can't do this...you can't...leave me like this...it's not supposed to be like this...it's not supposed to end this way...come on Lucy...please...open your eyes," Natsu brokenly begged, as he held the limp body of his best friend in his arms.

Rain fell hard around the pair, as thunder crashed and lightning sparked across the sky. Gray held Erza tightly in his arms as she hid her face against his shoulder, and tried without success to hold in her sobs. Tears even leaked out and created a trail down her rain-soaked face from her artificial eye.

Natsu gently and tenderly brushed away stray, damp strands of blond hair from Lucy's face. He just wanted her to open those beautiful brown eyes of hers again. He wanted to look deep within them, and apologize for not being fast enough or strong enough to save her. If he'd been a bit quicker, tougher, smarter...perhaps she would be laughing with him right now. Eyes wide open and sparkling with that beautiful light that was so unique to her.

"Lucy...I'm so...sorry...so...s-s-sorry," Natsu broke down and sobbed into Lucy's still chest, his heart breaking and shattering into a thousand pieces. He then raised his head to the sky and let out the most anguished, soul-broken cry ever.

The rain continued to rain down around them all, washing away the tears from their faces even as more tears came to replace those that were swept away.

Natsu let out a sob and continued to hold Lucy's limb form against his chest, before he let out a shuddering breath and slowly rose to his feet, gently cradling Lucy in his arms. He looked over at Gray and Erza, and his two fellow comrades nodded solemnly back at him. They both knew what they all had to do next.

Take their fallen friend back to Fairy Tail.

Natsu let out a shuddering breath, and turned in the direction he knew the guild was. It would be a long and painful journey, and the heavy rains wouldn't make the trip any easier. But Lucy deserved...no..._needed_ to be laid to rest surrounded by the rest of her guild family.

If Natsu couldn't be there with her in time to save her life, then it was the least he could do to make sure that she rested in peace where she truly belonged.

Natsu gazed softly and sadly down at Lucy's seemingly-peacefully sleeping face. He then leaned over and very tenderly, placed a gentle and sweet kiss on her forehead.

"Sleep well...my Beautiful Angel."

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~Fin~

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**AN:** Thank you to all those who read my first chapter, and a special thanks to those who took the time to review! ^^

There is an alternate ending to this chapter. A happier ending. Would you all like to read that happier ending, or is this chapter okay as is? Please review and let me know what you guys would like to see =3


	3. After The Rains

**AN:** This is the alternate ending/chapter to the last chapter. Hope you all enjoy =3

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After The Rains

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"Lucy..._please_ Lucy...talk to me...you can't...you can't do this...you can't...leave me like this...it's not supposed to be like this...it's not supposed to end this way...come on Lucy...please...open your eyes," Natsu brokenly begged, as he held the limp body of his best friend in his arms.

Rain fell hard around the pair, as thunder crashed and lightning sparked across the sky. Gray held Erza tightly in his arms as she hid her face against his shoulder, and tried without success to hold in her sobs. Tears even leaked out and created a trail down her rain-soaked face from her artificial eye.

Natsu gently and tenderly brushed away stray, damp strands of blond hair from Lucy's face. He just wanted her to open those beautiful brown eyes of hers again. He wanted to look deep within them, and apologize for not being fast enough, strong enough, or good enough to save her. If he'd been a bit quicker, tougher, smarter...perhaps she would be laughing with him right now. Eyes wide open and sparkling with that beautiful light that was so unique to her.

"Lucy...I'm so...sorry...so...s-s-sorry," Natsu broke down and sobbed into Lucy's still chest, his heart breaking and shattering into a thousand pieces. He then raised his head to the sky and let out the most anguished, soul-broken cry he'd ever released.

The rain continued to rain down around them all, washing away the tears from their faces even as more tears came to replace those that were swept away.

Natsu let out a sob and continued to hold Lucy's limb form against his chest, his heart getting heavier and heavier by the minute. He felt like all the light and joy in his life had been extinguished.

Then in the deepest, darkest moments of his despair a small ray of hope lit up his world.

Natsu felt the lightest and briefest of touches against his cheek. It was so light...so faint...he almost thought he'd imagined it.

But then the light, sweet touch moved across his tear-streaked cheek again, and Natsu's breath caught in his throat. He almost didn't want to look down in case what he thought he was feeling really was just his imagination. But then he swallowed a small gulp of air, and looked down at the once-still blond in his arms.

Natsu lost his breath.

Beautiful, warm, chocolate-brown eyes were gazing back up at him, as Lucy gave Natsu a tender though weak smile.

"Hey there," the soft, sweet voice that Natsu thought that he would never hear again faintly whispered.

"L-Lu-Lu...cy," Natsu whispered softly in disbelief, as he raised his hand and tenderly stroked his fingers through Lucy's damp locks.

"Yup, it's me," Lucy replied softly, as she gazed up into Natsu's tear-filled eyes.

"Lucy...Lucy...Lucy!" Natsu cried out as he pulled Lucy as tightly against his chest as he could, doing his best not to hurt her any more than she already was.

"Lucy!" Erza and Grey cried out as they rushed over to the pair on the ground. Erza still had tears streaming from both her eyes, but now instead of tears of sorrow and grief, they were tears of joy and happiness.

"That's our girl," Gray said with a goofy grin on his face, as he tried to wipe the tears from his eyes without anyone seeing.

Lucy looked up at the people surrounding her, as she lay cradled protectively and tenderly in Natsu's arms.

Her family.

Natsu sniffed loudly, and then with his trademark grin he carefully stood, holding Lucy as gently in his arms as possible.

"It's time to go back home, Luce. Back to Fairy Tail," Natsu said as he gazed down at Lucy with the most tender and caring expression she had ever seen on his face. She then felt a soft, loving brush of lips against her forehead and her face warmed, even as the cool rain continued to fall lightly against her now-flushed features.

"Yes, let's go home," Lucy replied with a sweet smile. She then snuggled down into Natsu's tender embrace, her eyes closing so that she could rest peacefully for what she knew would be a long journey back home.

Natsu smiled softly down at her, before once again lightly brushing his lips across her forehead.

"Sleep well...my Beautiful Angel."

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AN:** Hope you all enjoyed! Thanks to all those who read my last chapter, and a very big thanks to those who took the time to review! You all help keep me inspired =3


	4. Sweet Apple Pie

**~Sweet Apple Pie~

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Lucy raised her spoon to her lips and slid a mouthful of the warm and cold delectable treat she was eating into her mouth. She groaned lightly in deep pleasure, and immediately dipped her spoon back down into her bowl to pick up another tasty bite.

"Lucy! Watcha eating? Ooo, warm apple pie and cold vanilla icecream! Can I have some?" Natsu's dark eyes sparkled brightly as he enthusiastically parked himself at the same table Lucy was sitting, off to the side in the guild house.

"Hmm," Lucy looked up at Natsu just as she slipped her second bite into her mouth. Another soft moan of pleasure escaped her, which caused Natsu's toes to curl in unconscious delight.

"Hey Natsu, you want some? Okay sure, but just _one_ small bite okay?" Lucy answered as she lightly waggled her spoon at her spiky-haired friend.

Natsu nodded eagerly, and then promptly opened his mouth wide to receive his spoonful. Lucy smiled affectionately at the dragon-slayer, before digging a nice big piece of warm pie and slightly-melted but delicious icecream out, and brought the spoon up to Natsu's lips. She then slipped the spoon into Natsu's mouth, and he quickly swallowed the tasty treat and let out a low pleased moan.

Lucy squirmed a bit on the bench she sat on, as the sound of Natsu's low moan made butterflies flit about in her stomach.

"Ah, you two just shared an indirect kiss!" Gray exclaimed as he suddenly appeared by Natsu's side, and clapped the dragon-slayer _hard_ on his back.

Natsu almost choked on what he'd just eaten, and quickly jumped up to pummel Gray into the ground.

Lucy watched the two boys going at it with each other, while quietly contemplating her spoon.

Then looking around to make sure that no one saw her, Lucy quickly licked the spoon and blushed lightly as she imagined Natsu's kiss tasting as sweet as warm apple pie.

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AN:** Thanks for reading! And thanks as always to those who read and also those who reviewed my last chapter =3


	5. Like

**~Like~**

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"You like him don't you," Erza asked as she gently ran a comb through Lucy's long golden locks, carefully trying to detangle any knots she found.

"Eeep," Lucy let out a completely un-ladylike squeak, as she sat on the ground before the bed in her room.

Erza was staying over for the night for them to have a 'girls night', and the two female mages were dressed in comfy PJs, while Erza was braiding Lucy's hair.

"Umm...I don't...don't know what you're talking about," Lucy hedged, as she tried to dodge Erza's question.

The Knight Mage tugged none-too-gently on Lucy's hair in slight impatience.

"Come on now, Lucy. Just who do you think you're talking to here? I _know_ that you like Natsu, and have for quite a while. And it's past time that you told him," Erza concluded with a decisive nod of her head and another tug of Lucy's hair, which made Lucy wince in slight pain.

Lucy let out a small sigh of resignation as she looked down at her hands, and lightly began twiddling her fingers.

"Promise you won't repeat a word of what I say?" Lucy asked hesitantly, as she peeked up at Erza.

Erza grinned down at the nervous Spirit Mage and gave her an affirmative nod.

Lucy let out a small, nervous breath before she spoke softly.

"I-I do...like Natsu."

**~o~o~o~o~o~o~**

"I do like Lucy," Natsu groaned as he buried his hotly-blushing face in his hands.

"There we go! Finally got him to admit it it, 'ey Happy," Gray exclaimed as he clapped Natsu hard on the back.

"Aye!" the little blue flying cat agreed, as he pumped a small furry paw into the air.

The three friends were sitting in a darkened corner of the guild, none of them quite ready to go home. And the guild was as good a place as any to hang out, as the sound of their fellow guild members wafted lightly through the air around them. The guild technically never closed, so one could be in there all day and all night if they so chose.

"I can't believe I let you guys talk me into admitting that out loud," Natsu groaned out in a muffled voice, as he continued to hide his blushing face in his hands.

"Oi Natsu, it's not that bad. Just tell Lucy that you like her. I'm pretty sure that she'll return your feelings," Gray said as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Natsu snorted once, then straightened himself back up into a proper sitting position on the bench he sat on.

"No way, no how, never! Lucy doesn't like me...not like..._that_ anyways," Natsu replied as his dark eyes drifted down to the table before him.

Gray slapped him _hard_ on his back again.

"Ow! What the hell, Gray! I'm gonna pummel you into the ground!" Natsu exclaimed as he quickly jumped to his feet and went into a fighting stance.

Gray let a feral grin cover his face, as he also stood and went into a fighting stance.

"Fine, if I have to beat it into you to ask Lucy out, it will be my _pleasure_ to Natsu."

Happy only shook his head and reclined on the table, as he watched his two best friends once again start fighting with each other as they always did.

**~o~o~o~o~o~o~**

"So are you going to ask Natsu out, or will _I_ have to do it for you?" Erza asked with a smirk, as she finished working on the second of two braids she'd woven into Lucy's hair.

Lucy's face paled as she imagined Erza asking Natsu to go out on a date for her. It just...didn't end well.

"No no! I uh...I can handle it myself Erza, thank you. No need to trouble yourself," Lucy said with a nervous laugh, as a small bead of sweat made its way down the side of her face.

"Well, good. It's best if you do it anyways," Erza replied as she gave Lucy a soft, big sisterly smile.

Lucy returned the smile, then let out a small surprised yawn. "Oh, I guess I'm more tired than I realized," Lucy said as she lowered her hand from her mouth, where she had raised it to cover her yawn.

Erza stretched her long arms above her head until her shoulders popped lightly, and she slowly lowered then with a light nod.

"Bedtime then."

**~o~o~o~o~o~o~**

Gray and Natsu lay against each other in a small heap on the guild floor, back-to-back as they huffed and puffed in exhaustion. It was pretty late at night, and their little fight had taken out what energy they'd had.

"Wanna...call it...a night?" Gray asked, as loud yawns interspersed his words.

Natsu nodded tiredly, and let out a loud yawn of his own.

"This isn't over though. You _will_ ask Lucy out...or I'm going to do it for you," Gray smirked tiredly at Natsu, as the two mages slowly got to their feet.

Natsu let a low rumbling growl slowly rise up from his gut, which didn't intimidate Gray in the least, who only grinned wider at Natsu.

Natsu then let out a sound of resignation, as he petulantly folded his arms over his chest.

"_Fine_. I'll ask Lucy out...tomorrow," the Dragon Slayer grumbled under his breath.

Gray smiled in triumph, and this time lightly clapped Natsu on the back. He then turned, waved over his shoulder, and made his way out of the guild and into the inky-black night.

Natsu scowled lightly at Gray's retreating figure, then let out a small sigh as he tried to fight a smile twitching at the corners of his lips. He then gently gathered the now-sleeping Happy into his arms, and followed the Ice Mage out of the guild and began making his way home.

_I'm going to ask Lucy out tomorrow,_ Natsu thought as he made his way down the darkened pathways of Magnolia.

**~o~o~o~o~o~o~**

_I'm going to ask Natsu out tomorrow,_ Lucy thought to herself as she snuggled her face into the pillow on her bed, while she listened to Erza breathing softly in her sleep beside her.

**~o~o~o~o~o~o~**

_What am I thinking! _both Natsu and Lucy simultaneously thought, as they both looked forward with equal doses of trepidation and hope to the coming day.

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~To be continued~**_

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AN: **Thanks as always to everyone who read and thanks to those who reviewed my last chapter! And a special thanks to reviewer **blueberry** who always reviews anonymously, so I never get a chance to send a personal review reply ^^

Hope you all enjoyed! Please let me know what you all thought of this chapter =3


	6. Like II: Lisanna

**AN:** As I'm sure many of you probably know by now FFnet has been going wacky and not allowing most members to either post/edit new chapters or post new stories. But some very resourceful authors found a work-around solution to getting new chapters posted. I had used the work-around solution a few days ago to post chapter 6 and for a day it was fine. But when I went to look over the chapter later on the text had somehow been messed up. I suspect somehow as a result of the continuous errors this site is experiencing. I had hoped to be able to re-post chapter 6 when the errors has stopped messing up the site, but it has been an entire week with no solution (or even acknowledgment that there *is* a problem by the FFnet staff), and so I'm just going to go ahead and re-post now and hope for the best ^^

For those who got to read the chapter before I had to take it down, thank you. And for those who haven't had a chance yet to read, I hope you also enjoy =3

_**~SakuBloss~**_

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Like II: Lisanna**

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Natsu never got that chance to ask Lucy out on a date. So much had happened the very next day after he had decided to ask her out.

Lisanna was back.

Edolas happened. Anima. Earth Land. Mystogan.

Lisanna was back.

Everything had turned upside down and inside out in seeming the blink of an eye.

The minute he had been informed that the Lisanna before him was the very same one he thought he had lost 2 years before, his breathing had stopped and his heart had tried to pound its way out of his chest.

He couldn't believe it.

**~o~o~o~o~o~o~**

Lucy couldn't believe it. The Lisanna that she had heard so much about...the one who it had been hinted at by more than one person that Natsu had..._liked_...was now standing before them all. Alive, healthy and whole.

Lucy was happy for her. She was happy for the whole guild as she watched them all laugh, cheer, and celebrate like there was no tomorrow. A missing piece of their whole, which they had all thought they'd lost forever had just miraculously returned. Lucy knew that if she had known Lisanna 2 years before, she would have been celebrating heartily with the rest of the guild.

But there was a small part of her, buried down deep in the dark recesses of her heart, that felt pain at the realization that Natsu's first 'love' was back.

Lisanna was back.

**~o~o~o~o~o~o~**

Natsu didn't know what to do. He paced back and forth in the middle of Erza's bedroom in the girl's dorm. Erza sat on her bed, arms crossed before her as she watched Natsu tread a path across her nicely-polished floor. Happy floated slightly above Natsu's head, looking down worriedly at his best friend as he continued to pace.

This wasn't the first time Natsu had been over to Erza's place. Over the many years they'd known each other Natsu had been over a handful of times. All of them to do with him having some kind of issue or problem that he couldn't quite solve on his own. Though Erza could knock his out with a single right hook, she was also very good at giving the dragon slayer much needed advice.

Natsu stopped pacing and turned to give Erza a serious stare. Then his face crumbled and big, watery tears filled his eyes.

"Errzzaa, what should I do?" Natsu whined, as he collapsed to his knees and held his bright-pink hair in his hands.

Erza let out a deep sigh.

"Well first off get up from the floor, and next stop wallowing like a baby and tackle this issue like a man," Erza replied not unkindly.

Natsu looked back up at Erza, sniffed once, then nodded as his dark eyes steeled with resolve and he got back up to his feet. Happy settled down onto the top of his head, and lightly patted it in silent support.

"You're right, Erza. I need to handle this like a man. I can't run away from this. I have to...talk with Lisanna," Natsu murmured as he looked down at the ground, and lightly clenched his fists.

Erza allowed a small smile to cross her lips. It was good to her to see Natsu doing some growing up.

"Good. And of course you also need to talk with Lucy. They both need to know where you stand with your feelings...for _both_ of them."

Natsu closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. Give him a bad guy to pummel into the ground any day of the week! He'd take that over all of this emotional stress.

Natsu re-opened his eyes, nodded resolutely at Erza, then surprised the knight mage when he quickly moved over to her and gave her a tight hug. Then before she could blink her surprise-filled eyes, Natsu and Happy were already out her door and on their way.

Erza let a light, almost bittersweet laugh escape her as she looked up at the ceiling, and let the image of a certain blue-haired boy fill her mind's eye.

_Wish I could give **myself** as good advice over you...Jellal..._

**~o~o~o~o~o~o~**

Natsu quickly made his way back over to the guild house, with Happy perched on his shoulder. It was getting late in the afternoon, but he knew that the guild would be the best place to find Lisanna right now, as he was sure that the festivities from yesterday were still going strong. When the members of Fairy Tail decided to party, they partied long and hard.

Natsu wasn't quite as sure where he would find Lucy. The Spirit Mage had pulled a disappearing act of her own during Lisanna's return celebration.

He wanted to talk with the blond-haired mage. _Needed_ to. But he had to take care of things with Lisanna first.

Natsu finally stepped in through the doors of Fairy Tail, and was greeted with a loud roar of welcome from everyone inside. He smiled back somewhat weakly and waved lightly at everyone around, as his dark eyes quickly scanned the surroundings for Lisanna.

Natsu almost jumped out of his skin when someone hugged him tightly from behind, and the soft pliant feel of a woman's chest pressed up against his back.

_Wrong size,_ Natsu's mind automatically supplied for him, as he turned around and faced the very girl he'd come in looking for.

"Lissy..." Natsu breathed out softly, using the nickname he'd created for her when they were little kids.

Lisanna smiled softly back at him, and quickly took Natsu's hand and led him back out the front door of the guild house.

Lisanna quickly and quietly led him out to the little secluded area where they had both raised Happy when he was still in an egg. The flying cat himself had stayed back in the guild house, when he had seen Lisanna take Natsu's hand and lead him away.

Once they had both made it to their 'special spot', Lisanna knelt down on the hard ground before a tree in the area, and lightly patted the spot beside her for Natsu to join her.

Natsu gulped in nervousness, but complied with Lisanna's silent request. Once he was sitting beside her, his back ramrod-straight in continued nervousness, Lisanna finally broke her silence with a soft giggle.

"Still the same Natsu I remember...so shy and nervous when it comes to certain things. Though you've changed a lot also...gotten stronger and more...defined...in certain areas," Lisanna softly murmured, as she looked off to the side with a light blush.

Natsu just continued to look straight ahead of himself, arms crossed tightly over his chest. He knew that he had promised Erza to resolve things with Lisanna, and he had found the girl in question and they were sitting here...alone...with no one in sight to interrupt their talk.

But he just didn't know _how_ to start this particular conversation.

Lisanna looked down and began tracing light doodles in the dusty ground before her, before she softly spoke.

"Hey Natsu, there's something...there's something...that I've always wanted to ask you. And well I..." Lisanna paused and looked up at Natsu, as she wet her dry lips.

"I've always wanted to ask you something, but was always too nervous...shy...scared...to do so before. But I've learned...the hard way...that life is too short to put things off that you want for too long. Natsu I...Natsu I want...Natsu...will you go out on a date with me!"

"WHAATTT!" twin cries of shock and surprise rang out through the air and Natsu closed his mouth after crying out, whipped his head upwards and looked piercingly into the full leafy branches of the tree above them.

"L-Lu-Lucy?" Natsu called uncertainly, as Lisanna also quickly turned her head upward.

The leaves above their heads rustled a bit before a head of blond hair poked out, upside down, with a sheepish look on the face of their unexpected guest.

"Ahh, hi Natsu...Lisanna...funny meeting you both...here..."

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To be continued~**_

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**AN:** Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please review and let me know what you all thought. Your reviews help keep me inspired ^^

And thanks as always for those who read and those who reviewed my last chapter. Heart you guys =3


	7. Like III: Girl Talk

**~Like III: Girl Talk~

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Lucy's face was flushing a hot red as she pulled herself back up into the tree, rustled about a bit more, and then began making her way down the trunk of the tree. Once she was back on firm ground she dusted off her outfit, taking a slightly longer time than needed, as she studiously avoided looking at both Natsu and Lisanna.

"I uh...didn't mean to listen in on your conversation. I just usually like to hang about in this tree when I need some quiet time to myself. I discovered this spot some time ago and it just seemed like such a calm and relaxing area, I found myself coming back whenever I've had a lot on my mind," Lucy quietly explained as she nervously picked at a spot on her skirt.

Natsu nodded and raised his hand to lightly rub at the back of his pink-haired head.

"I know what you mean. This place is special to me as well...and to...Lisanna," Natsu replied quietly as he allowed his dark eyes to drift over to the pale-haired girl standing by his side, before he quickly dropped his gaze down to the ground.

A small awkward silence descended upon the small group, and Lisanna found her azure-eyed gaze moving slowly between Natsu and Lucy and back again to Natsu. A sudden small _ding_ of comprehension went off in her head, and she quickly curled her hands into slight fists as her eyes darkened with determination. She then slowly uncurled her fists, stepped closer to Natsu, and reached forward to gently take Natsu's larger hand into both of her smaller ones.

"Natsu..." Lisanna began as she nervously licked her lips. "Can you..._please_...give me an answer to what I just asked you...about you...going out on a date with me?"

"I uh...have to go...I'll see you later Natsu...Lisanna..." Lucy hastily interjected, her voice filled with hurt, as she turned on her heels and began striding quickly away.

Natsu raised his free hand and opened his mouth to call Lucy back, but a light tug on his held hand caused him to look down instead into Lisanna's slightly-pleading eyes, and the words died on his lips. Lisanna gave Natsu's hand a light squeeze as she continued to look beseechingly up at him.

Natsu gulped slightly as he felt a small bead of sweat slowly make its way down the side of his face. He then let out a small breath of air, turned to face Lisanna fully, and gave her a weak smile.

"Okay...I'll go out on a date with you."

**~o~o~o~o~o~o~**

It was now quickly approaching night, and Lucy found herself slowly strolling alongside the city's waterways. The streetlights were slowly turning on, and the man in the gondola who always called out for her to watch her step, called out a greeting to her. Lucy didn't reply this time though as she was in her own little world, and not really focusing on what was going on around her.

So it came as a truly great surprise when Lucy finally arrived at the front steps leading up to her apartment building, to see Lisanna sitting on the steps waiting. Once Lisanna saw Lucy she slowly rose to her feet and lightly dusted off the back of her dress, before her cerulean-blue eyes rose to lock gazes with Lucy's chocolate-brown ones.

"You like him don't you?" Lisanna asked without preamble.

Lucy could only stare in shock at the cream-haired girl before her. She then looked off to the side as a light blush colored her cheeks.

"Yes..." Lucy answered softly and truthfully. She then received her second surprise of the evening as she felt someone grab her hands, and hold them up in the air before her. Lucy now found herself pinned by Lisanna's intense gaze, as the blue-eyed girl stared back determinedly at her.

"He said yes...Natsu said yes that he would go out on a date with me," Lisanna said as she continued to stare intently into Lucy's eyes.

Lucy bit her lip as she began to try to tug her hands free of Lisanna's tight grip, filled with equal parts hurt and anger at what the pale-haired girl had just said.

"Wait wait! Hear me out for a minute!" Lisanna pleaded as she lightly loosened her grip on Lucy's hands. "Natsu may have said yes...but I could tell that his heart wasn't really into it," Lisanna continued as she looked sadly off to the side. She then took a deep breath and slowly let it out, before she turned her face back towards Lucy and gave her a watery smile.

"He's changed so much since I last saw him two years ago. And I heavily suspect that you've had a pretty big influence on him since you've known him. I won't say that I'm happy or sad with the changes, but I _will_ say that I'm not ready to give up on him. I was good friends with the Edolas version of you. In both worlds no matter your outer appearance, you're a warm and caring person inside, and I can...imagine Natsu being happy with you. But I..._love_ him...and I've loved him ever since we were little kids. I'm not willing to give up on those feelings so easily. But I also want you and I to be friends in this world as well," Lisanna said as she gave Lucy's hands a gentle squeeze, before finally letting them go.

Lucy looked at the ivory-haired girl for few silent seconds, making Lisanna fidget nervously as she wondered if Lucy would rebuff her offer of friendship.

Lucy then gave Lisanna a bright smile that reached all the way up to her eyes, and that almost took Lisanna's breath away with its brilliance. She truly understood now how Natsu could be attracted to the girl before her. She just radiated so much life, warmth, and energy. It was truly dazzling.

"Sure! We can most definitely be friends. Anyone who Natsu, Erza, and Gray trust and loves as much as they do you, is someone I can also call friend," Lucy answered with a soft, warm grin.

Lisanna's eyes lit up with joy and for the third time this evening, Lucy was surprised as Lisanna jumped forward and wrapped her up in a tight hug.

"Thank you, Lucy" Lisanna whispered softly. "I promise that I'll fight fair and square for Natsu's heart. And I'll accept with honor a battle well lost if he chooses you instead," Lisanna continued as she placed her hands on both of Lucy's shoulders, and gave her a small smile.

Lucy returned the small smile, and gave a firm nod of her head in confirmation of the challenge for Natsu's heart given.

"Hey, you two! What are you both standing around out here for?" Erza called out, as the Knight Mage suddenly appeared and came to stand beside the two Fairy Tail mages.

"Erza!" Lisanna exclaimed as she turned to wrap Erza in a tight hug. Erza blinked once in surprise, before she let out a soft laugh and returned the hug.

"You know what we should have girls...a slumber party!" Lucy exclaimed suddenly, as she raised her hand and pumped her fist into the air.

Erza and Lisanna both turned to look at Lucy, and one of Erza's eyebrows slowly raised in question at the blond-haired mage.

Lucy gave both of the girls before her an impish grin, before looping her arms through each of their own, and began walking them all up the stairs to her apartment.

"We all need to bond! For you Erza, to reacquaint yourself with Lisanna. And for me, to get to know her for the first time," Lucy explained, as they reached the top step leading into her apartment building.

With Lucy standing in between them, Erza looked over at Lisanna and Lisanna returned Erza's look. Bright grins lit up both of their faces, and they both raised their fists high into the air and cried out.

"Sleepover!"

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**AN:** Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please let me know what you guys thought of it =3


	8. Like IV: Heartfelt

**Like IV: Heartfelt**

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"Now this is what I call a sleepover party!" Mirajane exclaimed as she bounced on Lucy's bed beside Levy. Levy squeaked a bit as she was bounced slightly into the air, but then she let out a happy giggle as she settled back down onto the bed.

"Yeah, thanks for inviting us over, Luce," Levy said as she lightly kicked her legs against the side of the bed, where they hung over the edge.

Lucy looked up from the ground and grinned at her two friends on her bed, from where she sat on the ground before a large bowl of popcorn, a large half-eaten pizza, and an empty container of icecream.

"No prob, you guys. I couldn't have a full-fledged sleepover without you all here," Lucy answered back as she first looked to the side to grin at Erza, who was lounging in Lucy's chair. She then turned her gaze forward to grin at Lisanna, who was also sitting on the ground across from her.

Mirajane clapped her hands suddenly, bringing all the attention in the room to her.

"So, I'm curious about everyone's love life! I've noticed you've been looking at Gajeel a lot more than usual, Levy. Is there something going on between you two?" Mirajane inquired with an impish grin, as she lightly nudged Levy in the side with her elbow.

Levy blushed furiously and tried to look everywhere but at her friends, as she nervously pushed her glasses up on her nose.

"N-n-no, why would you think that? There's nothing going on between Gajeel and I...even though I may wish there were," Levy whispered this last part under her breath, hoping no one heard her.

But of course Mirajane did, and she quickly took Levy's hands into her own and squeed loudly.

"I'll be rooting for you, Levy! So don't give up, okay!" Mirajane exclaimed as she gave Levy an encouraging grin.

Levy smiled back shyly, and gave Mirajane an affirmative nod.

"So who do you both like, Lucy and Lisanna?" Mirajane turned her attention to her two friends on the ground, and gave them both a not-so-innocent grin. She was well aware that they both liked Natsu, but she'd had a few private minutes right before the sleepover to speak to her sister. Lisanna had told her about the little 'challenge' she and Lucy had going on concerning Natsu, and Mirajane couldn't help teasing them both a little bit over it.

Both Lisanna and Lucy flushed a deep red, but as they were both trying to stammer out a response, Erza suddenly held up her hand for silence.

Everyone else in the room immediately became quiet, and waited to see what had set Erza off.

With no warning and a sudden cry, Erza leapt up from the chair and in two quick strides, she was at the door and bursting it open.

There was a loud cry and the sound of scuffling coming from just outside the door. The next thing the girls in the room knew, Erza was dragging in and throwing down onto the ground before her Natsu, Gray, and Happy.

The boys all looked suitably embarrassed to have been caught, as the girls all began shouting and exclaiming that the guys were peeping toms, and they were going to get pounded into the ground as punishment.

Natsu, Gray, and Happy all went down on their knees before their angry female friends, and begged for mercy.

Considering it was her room that the boys had invaded, it was Lucy who finally decided to grant them mercy, and actually shocked and surprised them all by inviting the boys to stay for a while. She replied to all their surprised faces and raised eyebrows by simply stating, "the more the merrier."

No one was going to argue with that logic, and for the next two hours all the Fairy Tail friends had fun laughing, teasing, and joking around with one another. Then after all the fun was had, Gray and Happy bid their farewells and left for the night. The lights in the room were turned off and the remaining girls all snuggled down on either the bed, or in sleeping bags on the ground for the night. All except for Lucy, who found herself sitting outside on the stone steps leading up to her apartment building.

Lucy looked up at the clear, full moon and found herself dreamily thinking about what it would be like to go out on a date with Natsu. She then jumped slightly as a long, warm cloth was wrapped gently around her shoulders. Lucy looked up and into the dark intense eyes of Natsu, who gave her a wide grin as he sat down on the step beside her. Lucy then realized that the scarf from Igneel that Natsu always wore around his neck, was the very same one that was now wrapped tightly around her own.

Lucy blushed faintly in the soft twilight that surrounded them both. She slowly brought her hands up to the scarf, gently held onto it, and snuggled her cheek into its surprising softness.

Natsu just continued to softly grin at her, as he put his arms behind his back and his hands on the ground to brace his body up. He then looked up into the clear night sky, and began speaking softly.

"Lucy...I've got something I've been meaning to ask you for a while now..." Natsu trailed off nervously as his eyes lowered to the ground before him. Then surprising Lucy with his swiftness, Natsu sat up, turned his body towards her and caught her smaller, smoother hands in his larger, rougher ones.

Lucy could only blink her widened-eyes in shock, her mouth hanging slightly open as she looked into Natsu suddenly serious face.

"Lucy I...Lucy there's something I've wanted to ask you, before all of this Edolas and Anima stuff happened. I wanted to ask you...if you...if you wanted to...to go out on a..."

"Yes!" Lucy answered in a breathy, excited whisper.

It was now Natsu's turn to have his jaw hanging open, and his eyes widened with surprised shock.

"But how...I was just...huh," so discombobulated was Natsu with Lucy's reply, that it took him a few additional seconds to realize just _what_ her reply was.

"You...you said yes," Natsu whispered in soft wonder.

Lucy blushed deeply, realizing that Natsu still held her hands gently in his own.

"That's because I...kind of wanted to ask you the same thing too, before all of this crazy stuff began to happen," Lucy replied, as she looked off shyly to the side.

Natsu lightly squeezed Lucy's hands to gently bring her attention back to him. Once Lucy was looking back into Natsu's intensely-dark eyes, he spoke softly to her again.

"I have to tell you the truth though. I agreed to go out on a date with Lisanna first. But I realized throughout the course of this day and night that I just can't do it...I can't go through with it. I can't pretend to have feelings for someone that I no longer have. I did care...very much...for Lisanna once. But someone new unexpectedly strolled in and seemingly...effortlessly captured my heart. From the very moment that I first met this person, she has lit up my life in ways I never expected. We've been through some pretty wild and grand adventures together that created a bond between us...a pretty deep one, I think. She's been there for me to save my life, and to help and care for me when I needed it...even when I felt I _didn't_ need it she was still always there by my side...never leaving me. I've found myself thinking about and caring about this person more and more each day. And I just...want to see where things could go with this person...this person named...Lucy Heartfilia."

Lucy let out a soft gasp as tears of pure joy began slipping down her face. And the only way that she could think of to possibly answer Natsu's heartfelt confession, was to lean forward and kiss him with all the pent-up love and passion she had for him.

_So she did._

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**AN:** I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for reading and reviewing my last one~ Your views inspire me to write more and more ^^

Please review and let me know what you all thought of this chapter =3


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